Riley's Pride
by storylover18
Summary: As story about Riley arguing for his pride, not willing to give into the demands of Abby and Ben. Can you figure out what the demands are? Please review! Now finished!
1. A man's pride

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters, which is really too bad.

"Come on Riley."

"No."

"Riley, please! You're acting like a child."

"No Abigail. I won't."

"Won't what?" Ben asked, walking into the room. Abigail whispered something to Ben.

"Riley, just do it. It will only take a few minutes."

"No Ben. I won't do it. You want to know why I won't do it?"

"Not really but okay."

"Because, Ben, I have things to do. I have things to see, people to meet with, and clues to figure out."

"Riley, even though you're a world renowned treasure hunter you're still human." Abigail put in.

"Ben. Think how you would feel if you were in my place. Would you want to give into the demands that could sentence you to days, even weeks, away from the world?"

"Well, probably not." Abby shot a murderous glance at Ben that clearly said _"You're not helping!"_ Ben shrugged and then continued.

"But really Riley. I know it's embarrassing and it makes us men feel like kids and hurts our pride but please just do it."

"It's for your own good Riley." Abby put in.

"But I don't want to. And how is it for my own good if it puts me way behind schedule."

"If you already know what the outcome is going to be, you shouldn't be doing work in the first place." Abigail pointed out. Riley opened his mouth to say something but then closed it again; he knows that Abby had caught him.

"Fine." he grumbled. "Give it to me."

**A/N: So what do you think it is? Review to get more!**


	2. Options and Thermometers

Disclaimer: I don't own anything which is SOOO sad.

"Fine." he grumbled. "Give it to me."

"Thank you Riley." Abigail said, handing it to him.

"Leave the room first." Riley said.

Ben started to leave with no arguments but Abigail stayed where she was.

"No way. We have to make sure you do it the right way to make sure it's accurate."

Ben stopped and turned around to look at his friend.

"Riley, I understand it's embarrassing but we won't laugh at you. Promise."

"You always say that."

"And do we ever laugh at you?"

"Well, no. But you always look at me weird." Riley looked put out, reliving the memories of the looks he got after the time on Mount Rushmore or when he went to get in the drivers seat and found no steering wheel in England.

"Look, Riley, you can do one of three things. You can just do it with both of us here with your eyes open like an normal human being, you can do it with both of us here with your eyes closed so you can't see what we're doing, or you can do it with just me in the room. Ben doesn't have to be here."

Abigail knew the pressure that men felt around each other and although she didn't say anything about it, she did notice the look Ben was now shooting her.

"Can I create another option?" Riley asked.

"Not doing it isn't an option." Abigail was beginning to lose her patience.

"I wasn't going to not do it! Can Ben leave and I close my eyes?"

"Whatever Riley. If that's what we need to do, then that's what we do."

"Fine. Leave Ben." Riley said. Ben left and Abigail handed it to him.

Riley closed his eyes tightly, opened his mouth, and put the thermometer in.

**A/N: Yes, it's another one of those "Riley gets sick" fics. Review for more on poor Riley's condition. **


	3. Results and consequences

Disclaimer: I wish I owned them, but I don't. *sigh*

Riley closed his eyes tightly, opened his mouth, and put the thermometer in.

Abigail watched as Riley sat on the bed with his eyes scrunched tightly closed. She looked at her watch and then back at her friend.

_Why can't men ever just admit that they're sick? Honestly it would make everything so much easier. And it would save me from having to take care of them._

"Do duch donger?" Riley tried to speak around the thermometer.

"No talking Riley. And about a minute."

Abigail studied Riley. It was so obvious that he was sick she didn't know how he couldn't see it. His face was pale and he had bags under his eyes. He was wearing jeans and a hoodie but his arms lung limply as he slouched. Abby checked her watch again and then took the thermometer from Riley. Riley looked at her as she tried to find the exact reading.

"It's 102 Riley."

Riley groaned and flopped back while Abby put the thermometer back in its case.

"Why?" Riley complained to no one in particular. They were in Rome and now wasn't the time to get sick.

"Look Riley. I know it's not ideal and there's nothing worse than being sick while being away from home."

"You're telling me."

"But why don't you just crawl into bed. Take a nap."

"But Abigail, we need to get going. We have to check-"

Abigail cut him off. "You need to do nothing other than sleep and rest. You'll do no one any favors if you go out like this. Especially for me and Ben who would have to listen to you complain but also catch whatever you have."

"If I have to suffer, you might as well too. Revenge is sweet." Riley muttered with his eyes closed.

Abigail sensed that Riley was already falling asleep so she slipped his shoes off and pulled the quilt over him. She left the room and went to talk to Ben.

**A/N: What do you think? Review please and I'll update soon!**


	4. Cough Syrup

Disclaimer: I wish I did, but I don't own anyone.

"Come on Riley."

"No."

"Look, you won with the thermometer and the nap. Two out of three isn't bad. Please Abigail." Riley pleaded.

A couple hours had passed since Abigail had convinced Riley to take his temperature and then a nap. Riley was now lying in bed under the quilt of the hotel, which wasn't as bad as most. Ben had gone out to check on some things and Abigail had gone downstairs to the lobby and had bought some cold medicine.

"Riley. Can't you just trust me?"

"It's not the trust part I have a problem with Abby. I just hate cough syrup."

"If you hold your nose, you won't even taste it."

"That's as big a legend as the fact that Ben's great great grandfather killed President Lincoln." Riley mumbled. Abigail thought for a moment.

"Prove it."

"What?"

"Prove it. We had to prove that Thomas Gates was innocent and now you have to prove that you don't taste the cough medicine if you hold your nose."

Riley started to protest but again stopped. Again, he had realized that Abby had caught him on something so the sighed and took the cup from Abby. Abby watched as he plugged his now and choked the medicine down.

"Gah!" he said, still choking down the awful stuff.

"And?" Abigail asked, taking the cup.

"It doesn't work." Riley said.

"Well, you won't have to try for another four hours."

"I have to do it again? No way."

Abby sighed and decided she'd let Ben give him his medicine next time around. She went to the kitchenette of the suit and rinsed out the cup. She then put the kettle on. She waited till it brewed and then made a cup of herbal tea and brought it to Riley.

"Abigail, you've got to be kidding me. I don't drink tea. I never have."

"Riley, I'm not in the mood to argue. I added a bit of honey so it's really sweet. Just drink it."

Abigail put the mug on the table and then left the room.

**A/N: Honestly, who of us actually likes cold medicine? I can't say I disagree with Riley's reaction. Please review! They make me feel motivated to keep on writing ******


	5. Secret Doings

Disclaimer: *sigh* I'm sure you know that I am Walt Disney or that other guy so therefore I don't own NT.

Abigail fell into bed, exhausted. She was so glad she didn't have children. Taking care of Riley had given her an idea how her mom had felt, only she was sure that she and her siblings didn't complain as much as Riley. Abby rolled onto her back and thought about how the day had gone…

Riley had been drinking the cup of tea when Ben had gotten back. Abby met him in the living area and they had gone over what Ben had found.

"Hey! I want to hear too!" Riley called from the bedroom, so Abby and Ben had moved their conference into the bedroom. When Ben walked in he saw Riley drinking a cup of tea.

"I thought you didn't like tea, Riley."

"I don't normally, but I didn't have much of a choice."

"I kind of thought that would be what happened. Has she tried cough syrup yet?"

"Yes. And she won." Riley said, glaring at Abigail. It was at that point in their conversation that Abby cut in.

"You get the pleasures of doing it next time, Ben."

"You'll do it, won't you Riley?"

"Did Thomas Gates kill President Lincoln?" Riley asked and Ben looked confused.

"I'll explain it later Ben." Abby said. The three of them continued their conversation about Ben's findings and when Abby and Ben looked at Riley, he had fallen asleep.

Abby had figured that if she had to take Riley's temperature again that she might as well do it when he was asleep. She knew that Riley slept like a rock and nothing could wake him up. She got the thermometer from its' case and approached Riley, who was sprawled over the entire bed. She knelt down beside his mouth and started to stick the thermometer in the open mouth. Just then he turned, mumbling something about snorkels and Albuquerque. She took a deep breath, calming the nerves that had been rattled when Riley had moved suddenly. She stood up and stuck the thermometer in his mouth and held it there, moving when he moved.

The three minutes seemed endless, but finally Abigail pulled the thermometer out. She sighed and then walked out of the room. Ben was sitting on the couch with a laptop, trying to figure out the stuff that Riley normally did. He raised his head when Abby walked in.

"And?"

"It's now 103.7 Ben. That's really high."

"What are you going to do?"

"Well, seeing as he's asleep…" Abby trailed off.

**A/N: Another cliffhanger! Reviews much appreciated!**


	6. One Hot Dude

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone.

"And?"

"It's now 103.7 Ben. That's really high."

"What are you going to do?"

"Well, seeing as he's asleep…" Abby trailed off.

"What?" Ben prodded. He may know a lot about History but he knew next to nothing about how to take care of his sick friend.

"We can try to lower his temperature with a cool washcloth." Abby said and Ben looked blank for a second and then began to laugh.

"Wait…you want to put a cloth on Riley's forehead? They still do that?"

Ben stopped laughing when he saw how serious Abby was.

"Is it that bad, Abby?"

"Well, we need to try and lower it. Otherwise we'll have to take him to a hospital.

"Oh. Well, do what you need to." Ben quickly gave in, knowing Riley would never forgive him.

Abby went into the bathroom and found a clean washcloth and made it cold under the tap. She wrung it out and folded it and then went into Riley's room. Riley was still sprawled out everywhere and his sleep was full of small jumps and restless turns. She hoped he would stop moving so the compress would stay put. She approached the bed and placed the cloth on Riley's forehead. Riley jerked at the cold touch but didn't wake up. Abigail left, but came back five minutes later. She felt the cloth, which had somehow stayed in place, and found that it was no longer a soothing cool. Rather, it was warm to the touch. Abby sighed and went to the bathroom and found another cloth and made this one wet. She exchanged the two and continued to do this for over an hour.

Abby was sitting in the living room looking at the paper that Ben had bought, in-between changing times. Ben had gone out for some air saying that he couldn't take the quiet. She had just turned the page when she heard Riley stir. She held her breath, hoping he would go back to sleep. Instead she heard Riley call out.

"Abigail, _what_ is this?"

Abby sighed and then got up and went to the room. She found Riley holding the cloth an arm's length away, holding onto it by a corner as if it was contagious.

"Well?" Riley said.

"It's a washcloth Riley."

"Obviously. But I'm not a dish, Abby. I don't wear a washcloth."

"Riley, you had a really high fever. You still might. We needed to lower it otherwise you'd end up in the hospital."

Riley softened a little.

"How high?"

"103."

Riley whistled. "I must be one hot guy."

Abby rolled her eyes at the corny joke.

"We'd better check it again."

Riley didn't protest as Abby stuck the thermometer in his mouth. Abby pulled it out and looked at.

**A/N: Sorry about another cliffhanger but there just so much fun to write! Review !**


	7. False Assumptions

Disclaimer: I'm not famous enough to own NT, so to state the obvious, I don't own anything.

Riley whistled. "I must be one hot guy."

Abby rolled her eyes at the corny joke.

"We'd better check it again."

Riley didn't protest as Abby stuck the thermometer in his mouth. Abby pulled it out and looked at.

"And?" Riley asked.

Abby breathed a sigh of relief. "It's down to 101."

"Does that mean I need to wear these things?" Riley asked.

"We can leave them off for a few hours and see if the fever spikes again."

"Great. I'm hungry."

"I've got soup and grilled cheese."

"Sounds good."

Abby left the room and went to the small kitchen and made Riley some soup and grilled cheese. She brought it to him and sat in the chair and watched him eat.

"Where's Ben?" Riley asked between bites.

"He went out for some air. Said he couldn't stand the quiet. He's worried about you Riley."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm sure."

"He really is."

"And you, Abigail. Are you worried?" Riley asked. Abby was caught off guard by the question but managed to hide the fact.

"Yes Riley. I'm a little worried about you. Although you seem to be on mend."

"Don't worry Abigail. I'll be-I am fine."

"Whatever you say Riley."

Riley finished his dinner and Abby took the tray to the kitchen. She returned to the room where Riley was lying down again and settling himself in the midst of his 8 pillows.

"One thing I love about hotels is that you have all the pillows you want." Riley said. He had ordered 6 pillows from room service the minute he had gotten to the room.

"Time to check your temperature." Abby said and with the usual grumbling, managed to get Riley to open his mouth for the thermometer.

"Guess what Riley. Your fever broke. How do you feel?"

"Almost normal. Just a little tired."

"Get a good night's sleep and I'm sure you'll be good to go again." Abby started to leave the room.

"Abigail, aren't you going to try and give me my medicine?"

"You want it?" Abby asked, sounding surprised.

"No but I have a fool-proof argument against it."

"Too late." Abby said smiling.

"What do you mean?" Riley asked.

"I put it in your food."

"Aww, Abigail! You take all the fun out of being sick."

"Sorry Riley." Abby said and then left.

It had been a long day and Abby was just falling asleep when she heard something that made her run into Riley's room.

**A/N: Sorry! Cliffhangers just fit so great into this story! **


	8. At Riley's Worst

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone except my doggy.

It had been a long day and Abby was just falling asleep when she heard something that made her run into Riley's room.

Abby ran into the bedroom and saw Riley's empty bed. She still heard the noise. She cringed as the sense of smell hit her and she almost gagged. She walked over to the closed bathroom door and knocked.

"Riley? Are you okay?" she called. In response she got something that sounded like the beginning of No but was interrupted by vomit. Abby decided she didn't care enough about Riley to actually go into the bathroom.

"_It's not like he needs someone to hold his hair back,"_ Abby though. She sat on the bed and waiting. Riley continued to retch and a few moments later, Ben came in looking like he had just woken up.

"What's up with Riley?" He asked, sitting next to her on the bed.

"He's sick to his stomach." Abby answered. That was all Ben needed to hear.

"See you." He said and left.

"_All men are the same. They can't stand barf. Well, did it ever occur to them that women aren't too pleased about it either?"_

Abby was still contemplating this when she heard the toilet flush and the bathroom door clicked open. She put a smile on her face.

"Morning sunshine." She said, just to tease Riley. Riley glared at her.

"Ha ha. Not even close. That was not fun."

"Of course not. Now that your stomach is empty, why don't you lie down?"

Riley didn't say anything but just collapsed on the bed. Abby got up and started to pull the covers up but Riley stopped her.

"Don't even bother." he said.

"Why not?"

"Because, I'll have to…" Riley shot out of bed and dashed into the bathroom.

"Oh lovely."

"Abby…please. You're seeing me at my worst. You could at least have a little bit of a heart." Riley said, glaring at her as he leaned over the toilet bowl.

"Fine, fine. I'll get you some water."

"Thanks."

Abby went to the kitchen and got Riley a big glass of water. She returned to the room and found Riley sitting back on the bed.

"Got anything left in there?" she asked and Riley didn't say anything. He just took the glass and drank it all.

"Whoa, Riley! Take it easy. You're going to puke it all back up."

"That's the point." Riley said.

"What?"

"I want to clear my system of whatever this is so if I just throw up water then it'll take the germs with it."

"If you say so. You want me to stay with you?" Abby asked, feeling somewhat sorry for Riley. He looked absolutely awful sitting there.

"No thanks. You can go back to bed."

"If you're sure."

"I am. Thanks Abby."

"No problem. Call if you need me."

Abby left the room and Riley muttered under his breath,

"Maybe I can preserve whatever amount of pride I have left. The last thing I want is for my best friends to see me retching over the toilet."

Something inside him lurched and he jumped up.

"_Here we go again!"_

**A/N: I feel so sorry for Riley, but I couldn't help it. There's nothing worse that being sick to your stomach. This chapter is dedicated to DaisyDuke80, who faithfully reviews all the chapters! Thanks!**


	9. A Little More Sleep

Disclaimer: I'm sure you know by now.

Riley leaned back against the sink and took a few deep breathes. He had just emptied his stomach for the umpteenth time that night and felt like dirt. He wanted to go and get back into bed and just fall asleep but he knew he couldn't do that. He shivered and hugged himself. He decided to try and get back to bed so he stood, rinsed his mouth and flushed the toilet. He staggered out of the room and collapsed on the bed. He drew the quilt around his cold body and took deep breathes.

A few minutes later Riley kicked back the covers. He felt like he was on fire. But, knowing the axiom of having a fever, he drew the covers back up a few minutes later. He wasn't as stupid in healthcare as he had let on but Abby had insisted on doing so many things to him that he decided to just play along. He sighed, but realized he couldn't do that a few seconds too late. He bolted up and managed to make it to the toilet in time. He did his business and then went back to bed. This time he managed to fall asleep.

Abigail rolled over and realized she hadn't heard Riley in several hours. She wondered if he had finally fallen asleep. She got up and walked to Riley's door. She peeked in and saw Riley asleep under the covers. He looked like he was sleeping naturally and his sleep was restful. She smiled and walked over to the side of the bed. She wrinkled her nose-the room didn't smell too good. She laid her hand gently on Riley's forehead. Riley was a heavy sleeper so he didn't wake up but Abigail was pleased to find that Riley's fever had broken and he felt fine. She went back to her room and saw it was only 6:20. She decided to get a little more sleep.

**A/N: So, what do you think of the ending? I noticed that I also have 2 other loyal readers besides Daisy, so this is dedicated to Dawn and Allie! Thanks to everyone who reviewed! They made me smile ******


	10. Author's Note

**Author's Note:**

**Okay, so I really have the itch to start writing the sequel now. But I have TERRIBLE writer's block, so I'm quite sorry about that. Anyone have any ideas that might start the flow of words back to my brain? I would love to hear any and all ideas….character doesn't matter, plot doesn't matter….anything is welcome!!**

**Thanks!**

**StoryLover18**


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